Tuesday, December 6, 2011
U.S. Navy Names New Ship in Honor of Voting Rights Activist Medgar Evers
People and Events
U.S. Navy Names New Ship in Honor of Voting Rights Activist Medgar Evers
By USBE Online
Nov 22, 2011, 21:34
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More than 1,000 people attended the November 12 christening ceremony for the USNS Medgar Evers at NASSCO's San Diego shipyard. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was the ceremony's principal speaker. Myrlie Evers, the widow of the late Medgar Evers, served as the ship's sponsor. She christened the ship by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against the hull of the 689-foot-long vessel.
"Each ship in the T-AKE Class is named for a noted pioneer in our nation's history. Mr. Evers was an Army veteran of World War II and an important civil rights pioneer. The NASSCO team is proud to add Medgar Evers' name to this distinguished list," said Fred Harris, president of NASSCO.
“This is a truly special occasion,” said NAACP president and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “Medgar Evers has been an inspiration to so many in the civil rights community and across the country. This honor by our Navy is befitting of his legacy.”
Medgar Wiley Evers (July 2, 1925 – June 12, 1963) was born and raised in Mississippi, where, after completing his military service in 1946, he returned to earn his degree from Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University). After graduation, Evers began working on behalf of the NAACP in the fight to end segregation. In 1954, Evers became the first field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi.
Evers created and organized voter-registration efforts, peaceful demonstrations and economic boycotts to draw attention to the unjust practices of companies that practiced discrimination. He became one of the most visible civil rights leaders in the state of Mississippi, working closely with church leaders and other civil rights advocates to promote understanding and equality. His life's work helped increase support for the legislation that would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
After returning from an NAACP meeting on June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was assassinated outside his home. Evers murder served as one of the catalysts for President John F. Kennedy to request that Congress create a national civil rights bill. “He was committed to his fellow human beings and the dream of making America a nation for all its citizens,” said Navy Secretary and former Governor Ray Mabus during the dedication event.
USNS Medgar Evers is the 13th ship of the Lewis and Clark (T-AKE) Class of dry cargo ammunition ships General Dynamics NASSCO is building for the U.S. Navy. NASSCO began constructing USNS Medgar Evers in April 2010. Following its at-sea testing phase, the ship will be delivered to the Navy in the second quarter of 2012. USNS Medgar Evers will mark the 13th T-AKE ship that NASSCO has delivered to the Navy since 2006.
When in active service, USNS Medgar Evers will join a tradition of NASSCO-built or modified ships directly supporting the United States Marine Corps. The primary mission of USNS Medgar Evers will be to deliver more than 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions at one time to combat ships on the move at sea. T-AKE ships have also served in Navy humanitarian efforts around the globe.
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